Billed on the press sheet that accompanies this promo CD as "legendary French band Trust", this may very well be the case. Their name has become "legendary" within the scene. But, let's be honest, within the annals of metal history, they're best known by many for being the band that Anthrax covered back in 1988, with their globally successful hit, 'Antisocial'. And also for once featuring sticksmen Nicko McBrain during his pre-Iron Maiden career, and Clive Burr during his post-Maiden drumming ventures.

But, they've always been a great band on their own merits, free from Maiden/Anthrax associations. And 2017 sees the Frenchmen reach their 40th anniversary, with original members Norbert "Nono" Krief and Bernie Bonvoisin still driving the band ever forward. And, at Hellfest this year, according to press blurb, they performed in front of a crowd that was 60,000 strong (despite some sources citing a lower daily attendance). Still, let's just say they played to a fuck of a lot of people; an hour long set, which climaxed with 'Antisocial'. And, just a few months later, here is the audio from that set.

This release also comes with an accompanying DVD with the full Hellfest set, and a bonus clip of the band performing 'Antisocial' with Anthrax at Strasbourg's Artefacts Festival last year. However, it's just the CD that's been made available for review here, so I'm unable to report on the visuals etc. Audio-wise, though, the CD is good, but not overwhelmingly fantastic. Vocals seem to be way too high in the mix, in parts; the lead guitar also dominates the mix a little too much during solo spots; and the drums lack any real punch. There are nice, overall, richly resonant bass sonics to the audio, from which David Jacob's bass playing obviously benefits although, to be honest, it's not a great live sounding record by 2017 standards. However, at least it does sound like a live recording - one that I presume is warts-and-all (of which there are a few); and one where Trust have eschewed the temptation for post-show overdubs. It's engaging enough in its own way, despite the aforementioned shortfalls.

Music-wise, Trust evidently have a wide back catalogue of fan favourites to draw upon, judging by the crowd reactions introduced into the mix. Ranging from rock to metal, this bunch know how to write an engaging tune, with driving riffs, catchy hooks, soaring leads, and punk-edged vocals. For those of you overly familiar with the Anthrax version, 'Antisocial' might sound a little jarring here in its original French-sung form. And, actually, it's a whopping nine minute version... well, eight minutes if you ignore the extra minute of crowd chants included at the end of the track, and even less if you don't include the "false starts".

'Hellfest 2017' will no doubt be a nice 'souvenir' for those who experienced Trust's set first-hand; an essential release for their fans who didn't; and a nice introduction to the band for newcomers (although their studio output might be a better starting point, given the far from pristine sound on this release). A good little release here, but not an amazing one.

"'Hellfest 2017' will no doubt be a nice 'souvenir' for those who experienced Trust's set first-hand; an essential release for their fans who didn't; and a nice introduction to the band for newcomers..."